Population Growth
Boise was incorporated as a city in 1864, and became the capital city in the same year (history.idaho.gov). At incorporation Boise had a population of 1,658 (history.idaho.gov), giving it a population density of 19.731/mi2, while in 1890 with a population of 2,311 (www2.census.gov) it had a population density of 27.502/mi2. In the 2020 census Boise had a population of 235,684, giving it a population density of 2,804.76/mi2.
Income and Rurality
The state of Idaho had an overall population density of 1.071/mi2 in 1890, and 22.253/mi2 in 2020, so Boise has always been far from the general rurality of Idaho. Boise's per capita income 2017-2021 (in 2021 dollars) was $40,056 (www.census.gov), which compared to the state's $31,509 (www.census.gov) puts Boise's individual earnings at ~25% higher than Idaho's overall.